Congress comeback

The results of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh underline that the Congress is not a dead horse and is still in the race to go past the post. PM Modi was the only star campigner for the BJP, leaving all his party persons on the sidelines. These elections are his personal loss. The biggest gainer is Rahul Gandhi, who has emerged as an astute politician. He will now the become the fulcrum of the Opposition mahagathbandhan. He has been able to take seniors and cronies in the same boat, giving them equal weightage and authority.  The BJP’s loss is due to the fact that CMs of these states seemed to be like local satraps, maharajas or maharanis. They had total disconnect with the local population, disregard for grassroot workers and promoting respective families. The mandate is crystal clear: ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’ will remain only a slogan.

Rajiv Boolchand Jain, Zirakpur

Under provocation? 

Apropos ‘RBI Governor Patel quits’ (Dec 11), the resignation is a matter of prime concern that in a nation where government posts are in dearth and aspirants are in abundance, how one can relinquish a reputed post citing personal reasons! Urjit Patel is an economist of a high calibre, with a deep and insightful understanding of macro-economic issues. What provoked him to resign nearly a month after the central bank’s board meeting with the government? 

Naman Nagpal, Kaithal

Sikhs enjoy full freedom

I was shocked to read what a Sikh in England had to say: ‘Sikhs are so badly suppressed in Punjab that they have no freedom of speech. They are unable to worship freely in gurdwaras. They live in fear’  (‘Why SFJ’s agenda has no takers in Punjab’; Nov 28). He is totally wrong. He seems to have come under the influence of false propaganda by radicals who concoct stories of persecution of Sikhs in India. I waited for full two weeks, hoping that a Sikh from Punjab would come forward to rebut the falsehood being spread abroad, but I was disappointed. Sikhs in Punjab or elsewhere in India enjoy full freedom of speech and worship. They are the most prosperous community. If we crack Santa-Banta jokes, they join us and enjoy it. They are a lively people. Sikhs have risen to the highest positions in India. Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, President Giani Zail Singh or Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa are a few examples.

WG CDR CL SEHGAL (RETD), JALANDHAR

Wary of Pak designs 

Apropos ‘ISI gameplan behind corridor, says Capt’ (Dec 10), the remarks need to be taken very seriously. We should be wary of Pakistan, which is keen to open the Kartarpur corridor. This offer should have come from Pakistan during PM Vajpayee’s Lahore initiative, when Parkash Singh Badal had brought up the issue. The presence of the Pakistan army chief along with Khalistani elements at the corridor function should have sounded an alarm regarding Pakistan’s sinister plans. The Kartarpur shrine as well as the gurdwara at Nankana Sahib were allowed by the ISI to be used as support base to holed up Khalistanis in Pakistan. No harmony between the two neighbours can be hoped for as long all the shots are called by the army in Pakistan, PM Imran Khan’s peace overtures notwithstanding. 

Mona Singh Khokhar, by mail 

Slogans won’t help 

No slogan, but only policy decisions can double farmers’ incomes by the implementation of ‘right to sell at MSP’ as suggested by the GOI- CACP in its Kharif Report-2018, because crop yield has already reached its plateau, with very little margin for further increase (‘Agri meet mulls ways to farmers incomes’; Dec 11). Due to inherent defect in the APMC Act, the middlemen enjoyed major profits of agricultural produce, ranging from 200 per cent for foodgrain to over many folds in vegetable and fruit marketing. Both farmers and consumers will benefit if the government implemented ‘farm-to-kitchen plates’and policy and right to sell at MSP. 

VIRENDER SINGH LATHER, KARNAL

Cricket then & now 

Congratulations team India on winning the opening test of the series at Adelaide. This Test takes one back  to yester decades, when a team scoring 300 runs used to be considered very strong. Centuries by batsmen were rare, and so was the hitting of sixes. But the bowling used to be scary. India’s only weapon was ‘spin trap’ by Bishen Bedi, Erapalli Prasana, BS Chandrasekhar and S Venkatraghvan. Whenever Bedi used to be hit for six, he used to laugh. Asked why, he would reply ‘batter is heading for trap’. Now, is the ascendency of batters and nightmare of bowlers. This is probably why budding cricketers want to wield bat and not ball. 

Gurdeep Singh, Dharampur

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